Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Discomfort at U.S. Medical Schools
The number of graduates from U.S. medical schools has remained roughly constant at about 16,000 a year since the 1980’s. But the number of new doctors has fallen as a percentage of the population. The population rose by 50 million from 1980 to 2000, according to the census.
Responding to this, medical schools have stepped up annual admissions to 18,036 last year from 16,170 in 1998, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Gail Morrison, vice dean for medical education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, predicts that admissions will rise again this year. She notes that in recessions, interest in medical school jumps. “We’re anticipating a bump up,” she said. “Smart people can no longer go to Wall Street.”
This would be welcome news to the Association of American Medical Colleges, which is calling for a 30 percent rise in admissions. According to a 2008 report co-written by Edward Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies with the medical association, the gap between supply and demand for doctors could be 125,000 to 159,000 by 2025, if the training of doctors fails to keep pace with population growth and a rising need for specialists catering to the aging demographic.
There are two problems with seeking a rapid expansion of medical school enrollment. The first is that the recruitment pool is limited by a requirement for specialist knowledge of physical and biological sciences, measured in the Medical College Admissions Test. Mr. Salsberg, however, says that admission test scores are not absolute predictors of performance in medical school and that more students could be admitted without hurting the quality of graduates.
Though the numbers of medical students will increase, no one is discussing the expense incurred for attending. It is true that it is worth the cost due to the fact that you are undertaking the vocation of your dreams and that upon completion you income will increase but there are ways to attend medical school at no expense.
International education may be one of the best options available, but unless you seek out the system the system is not discussed.
Clearly the US mediacal school system instructs using a synthetic medication methodology, while international education indtitutions instruct unsing a holistic/syhthetic methodology. With the system being the way it is this may be the best way to go.
For additional information on acquiring the resources visit www.freecollegeeducation.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Anonymous Donor Gives Millions to Colleges
With the mysterious sprinkling of nearly $70 million on schools including Binghamton University in New York, Montclair State University in New Jersey, the University of Southern Mississippi and, with an announcement on Thursday, Michigan State University, this financial influx has become a sweet diversion and a huge lift.
“Clearly, whoever it is wishes to remain anonymous and I, for one, am perfectly happy to respect that,” said Susan A. Cole, president of Montclair State, which received a call from a Wells Fargo representative followed immediately by gifts of $4 million and $1 million in late March. “In the best of times we never have enough scholarship money for students who have financial need. In these difficult times, that is multiplied. The gift is incredibly important to us. I cannot adequately express the depth of our gratitude.”
Clearly financing for a college education is alive and well. You just have to selectively decide where, when and how to acquire the $$. But many how could get it dont due to not being willing to understand the process. But the money is there in abundance and you only have to pay, if you choose to.
“Clearly, whoever it is wishes to remain anonymous and I, for one, am perfectly happy to respect that,” said Susan A. Cole, president of Montclair State, which received a call from a Wells Fargo representative followed immediately by gifts of $4 million and $1 million in late March. “In the best of times we never have enough scholarship money for students who have financial need. In these difficult times, that is multiplied. The gift is incredibly important to us. I cannot adequately express the depth of our gratitude.”
Clearly financing for a college education is alive and well. You just have to selectively decide where, when and how to acquire the $$. But many how could get it dont due to not being willing to understand the process. But the money is there in abundance and you only have to pay, if you choose to.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Full Ride
Dreams can come true but they can also come true if you want to attend the college of your choice for free. All you have to do is learn the system and plan. Visit freecollegeeducation.com for more information.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Louisville Says Doctorate Earned in Semester Is Legit
The University of Louisville has concluded that a much-questioned doctorate it awarded -- for one semester of study -- was legitimate, The Louisville Courier-Journal reported. The doctorate was awarded to John Deasy in 2004 -- and appears to violate university rules about residency requirements. Deasy, as a school superintendent, had given money to a research center headed by the then-dean of Louisville's education college, who then went on to chair Deasy's dissertation committee, leading to questions about the legitimacy of the degree. But the university found that the "totality of the circumstances" indicated an appropriate process. At the same time, Louisville announced that it is tightening the procedures about exemptions from normal procedures for doctorates. The former dean, Robert Felner, was for years popular with administrators even as he angered many professors.
While everyone cannot get it that fast, many can get the degree at not cost. All you have to do is lean how to obtain a College education at not cost. Visit www.freecollegeeducation.com for more details.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Debt due to college.
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- College sophomore Nick Philliou admits he's not in the best financial shape these days.
"I've got about $10,500 worth of debt," Philliou, 21, told CNN in a recent interview. He used to work full time as a sales representative at a gym, but lost his job last summer and says his financial situation went downhill fast.
"My cash flow was gone. ... I didn't want to spend all my savings, so I would put some things on my credit card," Philliou said. "If I had to go shopping, I would put it on there."
Nationwide, college students are using credit cards more and more as a financial crutch, according to student lending giant Sallie Mae. In a report released this month, the lender says students are carrying record-high balances: an average of $3,173 for undergraduates, up 46 percent from 2004; and more than $4,100 for graduating seniors, up 41 percent from 2004.
The study found that freshmen carried an average debt of $939, nearly triple the $373 five years ago. Only 15 percent of freshmen had a zero balance -- a significant drop from 69 percent with a zero balance in 2004.
"Part of that can be due to the rising cost of college," said Kalman Chany, author of "Paying For College Without Going Broke." Watch Elaine Quijano's report on student debt »
"There was some uncertainty about private loans, so in many cases, students resorted to the lender of last resort -- that is, their credit cards -- to finance their college expenses and out-of-pocket costs."
The Sallie Mae study, based on surveys of 1,200 college undergraduates ages 18-24, also found 60 percent of the students were surprised at how high their balances were, and 40 percent had charged items despite knowing they couldn't cover the bill.
As for Philliou, he blames part of his predicament on the recession. Yet his debt also included paying for two luxury cars, and he admits, he hasn't always made the best financial decisions.
"I'm partly a victim of the recession," Philliou said. "And partly ... a victim of lavish lifestyles, you could say."
Now, Philliou is working to turn things around. He's stopped using his two credit cards. He's attending community college to save money. And he's working part-time as a personal trainer. He hopes those steps will get him financially fit -- eventually.
This does not have to be the case. You can attend college and be debt free. Visit freecollegeeducation.com for details.
"I've got about $10,500 worth of debt," Philliou, 21, told CNN in a recent interview. He used to work full time as a sales representative at a gym, but lost his job last summer and says his financial situation went downhill fast.
"My cash flow was gone. ... I didn't want to spend all my savings, so I would put some things on my credit card," Philliou said. "If I had to go shopping, I would put it on there."
Nationwide, college students are using credit cards more and more as a financial crutch, according to student lending giant Sallie Mae. In a report released this month, the lender says students are carrying record-high balances: an average of $3,173 for undergraduates, up 46 percent from 2004; and more than $4,100 for graduating seniors, up 41 percent from 2004.
The study found that freshmen carried an average debt of $939, nearly triple the $373 five years ago. Only 15 percent of freshmen had a zero balance -- a significant drop from 69 percent with a zero balance in 2004.
"Part of that can be due to the rising cost of college," said Kalman Chany, author of "Paying For College Without Going Broke." Watch Elaine Quijano's report on student debt »
"There was some uncertainty about private loans, so in many cases, students resorted to the lender of last resort -- that is, their credit cards -- to finance their college expenses and out-of-pocket costs."
The Sallie Mae study, based on surveys of 1,200 college undergraduates ages 18-24, also found 60 percent of the students were surprised at how high their balances were, and 40 percent had charged items despite knowing they couldn't cover the bill.
As for Philliou, he blames part of his predicament on the recession. Yet his debt also included paying for two luxury cars, and he admits, he hasn't always made the best financial decisions.
"I'm partly a victim of the recession," Philliou said. "And partly ... a victim of lavish lifestyles, you could say."
Now, Philliou is working to turn things around. He's stopped using his two credit cards. He's attending community college to save money. And he's working part-time as a personal trainer. He hopes those steps will get him financially fit -- eventually.
This does not have to be the case. You can attend college and be debt free. Visit freecollegeeducation.com for details.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
SAT at WAR
When American high school students take an SAT that is an hour longer than it used to be, and that includes a writing test many top colleges ignore, Richard Atkinson may be the man they have to thank.
Atkinson is the former president of the University of California. When he announced in 2001 that he was recommending that the university system stop requiring the SAT of applicants, he got the attention of the College Board in a way that other critics of the test never could. The prospect of losing all of those University of California applicants led to all kinds of changes in the SAT (and succeeded in keeping the university among the institutions requiring the test).
Isnt it interesting that there are those fighting to uphold a test when the test has been done away-with by over 800 academic institutions! Below is the link to a listing of the schools that do not require ACT/SAT testing for admission.
www.fairtest.org/univ/optional.htm
Atkinson is the former president of the University of California. When he announced in 2001 that he was recommending that the university system stop requiring the SAT of applicants, he got the attention of the College Board in a way that other critics of the test never could. The prospect of losing all of those University of California applicants led to all kinds of changes in the SAT (and succeeded in keeping the university among the institutions requiring the test).
Isnt it interesting that there are those fighting to uphold a test when the test has been done away-with by over 800 academic institutions! Below is the link to a listing of the schools that do not require ACT/SAT testing for admission.
www.fairtest.org/univ/optional.htm
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Lock in Tuition or negotiate
Tuition just about always moves in the same direction: up. So wouldn't it be great if students could lock in tuition at their college and know they will pay the same amount for four years?
It seems like a no-brainer, especially now. But some colleges have tried the strategy only to find it hard to convince families that it's a good idea.
That hasn't stopped colleges from trying. The University of Texas at Dallas began its Guaranteed Tuition Rate Plan in the fall of 2007, as a way to "provide simplicity, predictability, and clarity for our students," says Curt Eley, the university's vice president for enrollment management.
Under the plan, incoming students are promised that their tuition and mandatory fees will remain the same for four years from the time they begin their studies. "It takes what I call the inflation risk out of tuition and fees for each individual student," Mr. Eley says. The university even offers the guarantee to students enrolling in Texas community colleges who plan to transfer. Those students sign a document that binds the university to charge them the university's current tuition rate but doesn't obligate them to attend.
The Dallas campus's program began before the economy tanked, but it could be even better for families now. Many households don't expect their incomes to go up in the next year, and it would be especially helpful if their college expenses remained flat.
Let me ask you a question...when you went to purchase or lease your car - did you accept the first offer they made you, or did you look at their price as a "starting point" for negotiation?
What about when you bought your home? Did you purchase it at list price, or did you muster up all of your negotiating skills to try to get the seller to come down in price? You get my point?
Why should college be any different?
Even the cheapest state schools today will cost you about $10,000 between tuition, fees, books, room and board, and miscellaneous expenses.
A private university can easily cost you $30,000 a year and up.
Now multiply those amounts by 4. A college education for your child (or children) is one of the single biggest investments you will ever make in your entire lifetime!
Doesn't it make sense to treat it like any other major purchase, and do your best to negotiate the best possible financial aid package for your child?
So Where Do You Begin?
For starters, your children should be doing their best to get good grades in school.
In addition, they should be taking some type of review course to get a good score on their SAT's/ACT's (it's a little late for seniors, but not for juniors).
Second, you must start narrowing down your school choices to colleges and universities where your child lies in the top 25% of the applicant pool - this will significantly increase your chances of getting a good financial aid package.
Next, you must start researching schools that have the best policies on giving good financial aid packages. You want your child to apply to schools that will meet most or all of your family's financial need. It is also important to pick schools that have a history of giving more FREE money, fewer loans.
Hint - Pick schools that are well endowed and have a lot of money to give out to students. Private schools tend to have far more money available than state schools do. I recommend picking a couple of state schools as "safety" schools and the rest should be well-endowed private schools.
Fourth, you must apply to, at least, 6 - 8 schools to insure that your child gets a good offer from 1 or 2 of them. If all the schools are the same academic caliber, and some give you a good financial aid package while others give you poor packages - it will allow you to pit one college against the other when negotiating for a better financial aid package.
Schools of equal caliber will often times compete for the same student by offering aggressive financial aid packages. Be sure to take advantage of this.
Lastly, you must know your numbers in advance.
For example, do you know/remember what your "Expected Family Contribution" is?
It is the minimum amount that the government expects you to pay towards ANY school.
Schools determine what they are going to offer you by subtracting your Family Contribution from their "Cost of Attendance".
This provides them with your family's "Financial Need".
It seems like a no-brainer, especially now. But some colleges have tried the strategy only to find it hard to convince families that it's a good idea.
That hasn't stopped colleges from trying. The University of Texas at Dallas began its Guaranteed Tuition Rate Plan in the fall of 2007, as a way to "provide simplicity, predictability, and clarity for our students," says Curt Eley, the university's vice president for enrollment management.
Under the plan, incoming students are promised that their tuition and mandatory fees will remain the same for four years from the time they begin their studies. "It takes what I call the inflation risk out of tuition and fees for each individual student," Mr. Eley says. The university even offers the guarantee to students enrolling in Texas community colleges who plan to transfer. Those students sign a document that binds the university to charge them the university's current tuition rate but doesn't obligate them to attend.
The Dallas campus's program began before the economy tanked, but it could be even better for families now. Many households don't expect their incomes to go up in the next year, and it would be especially helpful if their college expenses remained flat.
Let me ask you a question...when you went to purchase or lease your car - did you accept the first offer they made you, or did you look at their price as a "starting point" for negotiation?
What about when you bought your home? Did you purchase it at list price, or did you muster up all of your negotiating skills to try to get the seller to come down in price? You get my point?
Why should college be any different?
Even the cheapest state schools today will cost you about $10,000 between tuition, fees, books, room and board, and miscellaneous expenses.
A private university can easily cost you $30,000 a year and up.
Now multiply those amounts by 4. A college education for your child (or children) is one of the single biggest investments you will ever make in your entire lifetime!
Doesn't it make sense to treat it like any other major purchase, and do your best to negotiate the best possible financial aid package for your child?
So Where Do You Begin?
For starters, your children should be doing their best to get good grades in school.
In addition, they should be taking some type of review course to get a good score on their SAT's/ACT's (it's a little late for seniors, but not for juniors).
Second, you must start narrowing down your school choices to colleges and universities where your child lies in the top 25% of the applicant pool - this will significantly increase your chances of getting a good financial aid package.
Next, you must start researching schools that have the best policies on giving good financial aid packages. You want your child to apply to schools that will meet most or all of your family's financial need. It is also important to pick schools that have a history of giving more FREE money, fewer loans.
Hint - Pick schools that are well endowed and have a lot of money to give out to students. Private schools tend to have far more money available than state schools do. I recommend picking a couple of state schools as "safety" schools and the rest should be well-endowed private schools.
Fourth, you must apply to, at least, 6 - 8 schools to insure that your child gets a good offer from 1 or 2 of them. If all the schools are the same academic caliber, and some give you a good financial aid package while others give you poor packages - it will allow you to pit one college against the other when negotiating for a better financial aid package.
Schools of equal caliber will often times compete for the same student by offering aggressive financial aid packages. Be sure to take advantage of this.
Lastly, you must know your numbers in advance.
For example, do you know/remember what your "Expected Family Contribution" is?
It is the minimum amount that the government expects you to pay towards ANY school.
Schools determine what they are going to offer you by subtracting your Family Contribution from their "Cost of Attendance".
This provides them with your family's "Financial Need".
Monday, April 13, 2009
ACT / SAT Prep only for a few
More than 50 years after the Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education, you don't have to live in the wealthiest neighborhoods to obtain a challenging public education in the Washington area. Particularly in the suburbs, high school students of all backgrounds can avail themselves of high-level honors, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes -- or attend specialized magnet programs.
But finding a way to vault over the next hurdle -- college admissions -- is not as easy, for reasons that are subtle and complicated. It can help if your parents are college graduates, educators say, or if they can pay for tutoring to improve your grades and scores on the SAT and ACT. If you can afford a private counselor to hold your hand through the process, you're also likely to have a better chance of moving ahead.
Across the country, the high school class of 2009 is expected to have submitted the most applications ever to institutions of higher learning. Those born in 1991 are part of a major bulge in the baby boom echo, and that has made it harder for even the most academically accomplished students to feel confident that they will get into one of their top choices. Many high school students report submitting nine, 10, 11 or more applications, with per-application fees of as much as $75; just a few years ago, five was considered a safe number.
The predicted crush of applications from current seniors has caused some juniors to speed up plans to take standardized tests, so they can retake them if need be. By this spring, the end of Neal's junior year at Wootton, he will have taken at least the two key college entrance tests: the basic SAT reasoning test and the ACT. He will have chalked up dozens of hours with private tutors and have a pretty clear idea of where he wants to apply to college. He did well enough on his first round of the testing regimen in December that he probably won't take the tests again in the spring or fall. But some of his affluent classmates will -- at $45 a pop for the SAT and $46 for the ACT -- often with expensive test preparation sessions in between.
***
After years of muted criticism, there has been a growing chorus of concern about increasing inequalities in access to higher education. Much of the debate centers on how to make college more affordable for lower-income students. But some educators also argue that standardized exams are a more accurate measure of economic privilege than of the potential to succeed in college and in life. Meanwhile, more nonprofit and government programs are cropping up to give disadvantaged students test preparation and other help getting into college.
Last fall, the National Association for College Admission Counseling broke new ground by urging colleges and universities to rethink their reliance on standardized testing and switch to exams that are more closely tied to high school achievement. The counselors' report suggested using measures such as Advanced Placement exams, the SAT subject tests, and tests linked to the specialized International Baccalaureate program.
Learners who really want to attend specific academic institutions need not take the SAT or ACT. Over 800 institutions have done away with SAT/ACT admission requirements and but it is up to the student to find out this information. Also, many institutions have done away with admission fees but once again it is up to the student to gather this information.
If you seek you can find. If you ask you will have.
But finding a way to vault over the next hurdle -- college admissions -- is not as easy, for reasons that are subtle and complicated. It can help if your parents are college graduates, educators say, or if they can pay for tutoring to improve your grades and scores on the SAT and ACT. If you can afford a private counselor to hold your hand through the process, you're also likely to have a better chance of moving ahead.
Across the country, the high school class of 2009 is expected to have submitted the most applications ever to institutions of higher learning. Those born in 1991 are part of a major bulge in the baby boom echo, and that has made it harder for even the most academically accomplished students to feel confident that they will get into one of their top choices. Many high school students report submitting nine, 10, 11 or more applications, with per-application fees of as much as $75; just a few years ago, five was considered a safe number.
The predicted crush of applications from current seniors has caused some juniors to speed up plans to take standardized tests, so they can retake them if need be. By this spring, the end of Neal's junior year at Wootton, he will have taken at least the two key college entrance tests: the basic SAT reasoning test and the ACT. He will have chalked up dozens of hours with private tutors and have a pretty clear idea of where he wants to apply to college. He did well enough on his first round of the testing regimen in December that he probably won't take the tests again in the spring or fall. But some of his affluent classmates will -- at $45 a pop for the SAT and $46 for the ACT -- often with expensive test preparation sessions in between.
***
After years of muted criticism, there has been a growing chorus of concern about increasing inequalities in access to higher education. Much of the debate centers on how to make college more affordable for lower-income students. But some educators also argue that standardized exams are a more accurate measure of economic privilege than of the potential to succeed in college and in life. Meanwhile, more nonprofit and government programs are cropping up to give disadvantaged students test preparation and other help getting into college.
Last fall, the National Association for College Admission Counseling broke new ground by urging colleges and universities to rethink their reliance on standardized testing and switch to exams that are more closely tied to high school achievement. The counselors' report suggested using measures such as Advanced Placement exams, the SAT subject tests, and tests linked to the specialized International Baccalaureate program.
Learners who really want to attend specific academic institutions need not take the SAT or ACT. Over 800 institutions have done away with SAT/ACT admission requirements and but it is up to the student to find out this information. Also, many institutions have done away with admission fees but once again it is up to the student to gather this information.
If you seek you can find. If you ask you will have.
Friday, April 10, 2009
College Costs: Coping With The Meltdown
American is planning to create a pool of cash for needy students who already have financial aid, according to Maralee Csellar, a university spokeswoman. In addition, "we are looking into ways to help students who do not have aid," Csellar says. Tuition for the 2008-2009 school year is $41,000 for a full-time student, including room and board.
Even before the market swooned, families with college-bound children started to buckle down. According to preliminary results of a survey of more than 2,000 parents being conducted jointly by ApplyWise.com and Next Step magazine, a majority of families with college-bound teens redirected their child's college search in the past six months to more economical options, including four-year public colleges, according to the preliminary survey data. In addition, parents say they are cutting discretionary spending to save more for their child's college education.
What can you do to pay -- and even save -- for college in a dicey market? Here are savvy moves to make now:
Hit the Financial Aid Office
If you have your college savings in a 529 plan, you should be in decent shape, since the asset allocation models in these programs direct most college savings in cash and bonds as college nears. But if you are winging it and have the bulk of your educational savings tied up in stocks, there's not much you can do now.
In fact, if you have a 529 account that has lost a lot of money and you have more than one child, consider switching the beneficiary on the 529 plan for a college-bound child to a younger sibling. "It will buy you more time," says William Jordan, president of Sentinel College Funding , which offers financial planning advice in Laguna Hills, Calif.
If you need alternative sources of funding, experts say your best bet is to try your school's financial aid office first, even if you didn't qualify for aid in the past. "What I've learned from my experience working in financial aid offices [at Brown University and Columbia University] is that there's a lot of flexibility involved," says Rod Bugarin, a financial aid adviser at ApplyWise, which offers online college admissions guidance.
Emergency Loans Available
It's a little-known fact that many schools offer emergency loans to needy students. While these loans won't cover the entire tuition bill, they can provide some immediate relief: The biggest emergency loan Bugarin awarded when he was working in a university financial aid office was several thousand dollars.
Other kinds of loans are also available to students, including a Perkins Loan, which is administered by individual educational institutions. Under the Perkins program, undergraduates are eligible for $4,000 per year and graduate students can receive up to $6,000 annually, with maximums of $20,000 and $40,000, respectively. Other financing options include a Stafford Loan, which can cover up to $7,500 in costs for borrowers. In addition, parents or guardians of undergraduate students can get a PLUS loan, which is non-need based and has a current interest rate of 8.25%.
Keep in mind that colleges do not reassess financial aid packages for a drop in portfolio assets. However, more often than not, schools will reassess financial aid if there is a change in employment status.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
IB + the road to advancement
Recently a 17-year-old decided to take action after reading a news story about how students with prestigious International Baccalaureate diplomas don't get the same recognition at Arizona universities as those in other states.
Universities in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas and Florida grant automatic sophomore standing to graduates with an IB diploma. But Arizona doesn't, and that fact is contributing to a "brain drain" as IB grads go elsewhere for higher education.
Acquiring and IB diploma is one way that a student can forgo on year of college and alleviate some of their college expense. Though not know by many, this is just one way that many more elite schools place their students at the head to the class.
Students with an IB diploma are more like to receive early admission as well as many other perks that come with studying at the IB level. Similar adjustments are also made for some that take "A" level courses in the British academic system.
Universities in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas and Florida grant automatic sophomore standing to graduates with an IB diploma. But Arizona doesn't, and that fact is contributing to a "brain drain" as IB grads go elsewhere for higher education.
Acquiring and IB diploma is one way that a student can forgo on year of college and alleviate some of their college expense. Though not know by many, this is just one way that many more elite schools place their students at the head to the class.
Students with an IB diploma are more like to receive early admission as well as many other perks that come with studying at the IB level. Similar adjustments are also made for some that take "A" level courses in the British academic system.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Illegal Immigrant Tuition
A bill allowing illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition survived a narrow committee vote in the Colorado Senate on Wednesday. This reiterates what many do not know, that you do not need to have resident status to get free money for college. While many believe that one must be a resident of the U.S., you can receive free money for college tuition without being a resident or citizen of the United States. All you have to do is be aware of the process to access the funding.
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